In the biggest surprise of the primary elections, Jon Tester came from far behind to trounce his heavily favored opponent John Morrison 61% – 35% in the June Democratic primary. He will face incumbent Republican Senator Conrad Burns in November. Tester had been outspent 2 – 1 by Morrison and was behind in the polls. Nevertheless, Council for a Livable World endorsed Tester the underdog because of his positions on issues and the political judgment that he was a perfect fit for the state.

Tester's sweeping win will give him great momentum against Burns in the upcoming general election. Even before his victory, a Mason- Dixon poll conducted in late May indicated that Tester held a narrow lead over Burns, 45% to 42%.

Burns is one of the most vulnerable incumbents in the country. In the last election, Burns won by merely four percentage points over Montana’s current governor, Democrat Brian Schweitzer. Since then, Democrats have made gains across the state. Brian Schweitzer won the governorship and the Democratic Party captured the State Senate 27-23 and tied the State House of Representatives in 2004.

More importantly, Burns is the U.S. Senator most implicated in the Jack Abramoff scandal. The Wall Street Journal reported that he is under investigation by the Justice Department for his ties to the convicted lobbyist. Burns received $146,590 between 1999 and 2004 in Abramoff-related campaign contributions, more than any other member of Congress, according to a Washington Post tally.

Jon Tester was born and raised in Montana. Forty nine years old, he is a third-generation family farmer who grows organic crops on land homesteaded by his grandfather in 1916. Tester was elected to the State Senate in 1998 and quickly rose through leadership ranks to become Senate President for the 2005 session. Tester has the rural appeal to defeat Conrad Burns: He started his U.S. Senate campaign last year by traveling across the state in his farm tractor-trailer.

Tester is committed to arms control, as indicated by his responses to the Council questionnaire and several interviews. He supports steps to avoid an accidental nuclear launch, including removing nuclear weapons from hair-trigger alert. Tester supports ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and opposes building the nuclear bunker buster weapon and an untested and unnecessary national missile defense system.

Tester has called on President Bush to lay out an exit strategy and bring the American troops home from Iraq. With local first responders sent abroad and the Montana National Guard stretched thin, Tester argues the need to return our servicemen and women to their homes across Montana. “The time has come to support our troops by laying out a plan to bring them home,” Tester said.

Burns’ views are the exact opposite. On the Council’s Senate National Security Index of votes, he consistently receives a zero rating. He is a hawk supporting President Bush’s national security policies. Burns voted to authorize the use of force in Iraq and opposed Senate amendments in June to begin the process of withdrawal from Iraq. In a June 25 debate between the two candidates, Burns said his strategy for Iraq is “win . . . if we cut and run . . . we’ll end up like Vietnam.”

Duringthe primary, Tester’s effective TV advertising program attracted attention by airing a light-hearted ad focusing on his signature flat-top haircut as well as his issues. After the primary, the GOP launched their ad campaign attacking Tester for having "liberal values" and poking fun at his hair cut. Montana Democrats responded by pointing out that the barber in the Republican ad was actually a fake sent from Washington to tell lies about Tester. Even humor is working for Tester.

The Burns negativeattack campaign is a sure sign of things to come. The incumbent had $2.2 million cash-on-hand at the end of June compared to only $500,000 for Tester. Tester needs substantial fundraising help to respond to these attacks.

Council for a Livable World believes that Jon Tester has an excellent chance to unseat Senator Conrad Burns in November. In the U.S. Senate, he will be a solid supporter of arms control and a humane foreign policy. Tester needs our support in fundraising. Changing the face of the U.S. Senate will require all our help and this contest is one of our best opportunities.